Good Grace!

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That’s a wrap for London Fashion Week! And if there were three things people were talking about, they were: 1) how it was sunny (gasp!), 2) Tom Ford's return to traditional runway, and 3) Cara Delevingne, who must have gotten to and from shows via a teleportation contraption because girl was everywhere. Her only competition for MVP of the week? 23-year-old Canadian newcomer Grace Mahary, who walked for Alex Wang and Marc Jacobs in New York before taking London by storm (Christopher Kane, Peter Pilotto, Erdem, and Giles, to name a few). “Before this, I was studying physical education and health, playing basketball, and being a jock,” she told us, backstage at the Topshop Unique show on Sunday. “I played for school and for clubs. I fought modeling for a while—I really didn’t want to do it—but my agent was really, really persistent and promised that I could move to Toronto and play basketball at the same time, so I did it. My goal is to bring a basketball onto the runway at some point. Givenchy did do that one couture presentation in a basketball gymnasium, so we’re getting somewhere!”

Grace's eyes, at this particular hour on this particular afternoon, were a bright sky-blue (perfectly complementing her outsized “Missy Elliott from Supa Dupa Fly” blue satin ensemble), courtesy of Topshop Makeup Consultant Hannah Murray. “We’re doing an early-'90s Brit Pop eye,” Murray explained. “It’s kind of inspired by Justine Frischmann from Elastica; it’s a bit punk, I suppose. There aren’t any lines, but the blue is quite solid: we’re using a new eye shadow that’s coming out, called Solstice—it’s a chalky blue—over a new cream eye color I did for spring-summer that’s a blue/gray. We’re making an almond shape with the cream, then layering the powder on top so it really takes. So, that’s where you get your intensity from. It’s not a soft, ethereal look…it’s pretty bold. I think it feels unexpected and fresh.”

And how does Grace stay fresh, during her first full-fledged season? “For beauty, hmm…well, do you want to know my secret tea?” Obviously. “It’s the real rooibos. Not the rooibos at Starbucks—the real South African rooibos. It’s from a company called Glen. I drink it every day—I think it makes your skin so smooth, and increases circulation. I’ll also do a scrub now and then, just whatever’s around. Now hair, hair is a different story! It’s all mine. I use all kinds of masks; I use one every single night of [fashion] show month. I used to religiously live by the Moroccan Oil one, but then I heard it has a little bit too much silicone in it. So, I’m testing out new things right now. Like, an argan oil treatment; Or, I’ll go into Harlem and get the cholesterol treatment—it’s literally called 'Cholesterol Treatment.' [Laughs] I’ll just smother my hair in it—it’s all about hydration with my hair. It’s a religion.”